Keyboard Sports review: a fun and quirky game that uses your keyboard to the fullest

I really love keyboards — I like using them, I like writing about them, and I like playing typing games, as I’ve mentioned before! Today I was playing a game called Keyboard Sports, and I’ve gotta tell you about it — because unlike most keyboard-focused games, this game is not at all about learning how to type.

Instead, Keyboard Sports delights in using the full span of your keyboard in some novel and very fun ways. The core principle is that your character moves towards the key you press — so hit space, and he’ll run towards the bottom of the screen, hit backspace and he’ll go into the upper right corner. That’s a completely different concept than the normal WASD or arrow key system of movement, and it’s pleasantly mind-breaking in the same way that QWOP is.

Using this mechanic, you guide your character through a number of different scenarios that are all conveniently the size of your keyboard. I won’t spoil the game by listing each encounter, but there’s a good mixture of fast and slow sections, strung together with a pleasantly improbable storyline about ‘taking CTRL’ and finding your ‘inner key’.

The game doesn’t last too long, clocking in at under an hour, but each section is replayable (with a fairly long final section that seems a bit randomised). It’s a pleasant experience throughout, with cute graphics and a winningly earnest theme song.

If you want to give it a go, it’s available on the Humble Monthly, but you’ll need to sign up for the service on or before November 4th to get the game for $12. (You also get 10% off in the Humble Bundle store and a free game each month as long as your subscription is active). An extended version of the game will be available next year on Steam as well, if you’d rather wait.

Keyboard Sports is billed as ‘the final tribute to the keyboard’, and is proudly offered on PC only — the Danish developers Triband state that it’ll ‘never be available on PlayStation, Xbox, iOS, Android or Virtual Reality.’